The transport cart for the Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3) Cell Assembly, featured in this video, has been completed at CAID Industries in Tucson, AZ. On the summit of Cerro Pachón, this cart will be used to safely detach M1M3 from the telescope and transport it to the coating plant for periodic maintenance of the mirror. The cart will move along rails that are built into the floor of the observatory building, and a vertical platform lift will carry the cart between the telescope and maintenance levels of the building.
Financial support for Rubin Observatory comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Cooperative Support Agreement No. 1202910, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515, and private funding raised by the LSST Corporation. The NSF-funded Rubin Observatory Project Office for construction was established as an operating center under management of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). The DOE-funded effort to build the the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera (LSSTCam) is managed by the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC).
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an
independent federal agency created by Congress
in 1950 to promote the progress of science. NSF supports basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.
NSF and DOE will continue to support Rubin Observatory in its Operations phase. They will also provide support for scientific research with LSST data.
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